To Late to Apologize R&R
by TwentyThree.On.August.The.12th
Summary: This is how I invisioned the duel between Tonks and Bella. R&R as always. And as I have said before this is a bit of a different Bella so don't expect a pyscho or nutcase. As usual I suck at summaries so I hope what's inside is better.


Disclaimer:**I know I'm a genius, but sadly--this isn't mine.**

A/N: DH never described how Bella killed Tonks so I took the liberty to describe it myself. This is not a Bella basher, as I have said so many times before;** Bella was misunderstood and not evil and this follows along those lines.** No one is ever pure evil—well except for Voldemort…lol. This is the way I picture her and Tonks' showdown. As usual I take constructive criticism. One shot. I may have changed a few things from the book, but hey this is fan fiction!Also I am vauge about things for a reason and eventually I will elaborate upon them.(Thanks also goes to Hanna for a few of the ideas I have presented here!)

**To Late to Apologize**

By:Riss

Bellatrix Black Lestrange stared deep into the eyes of her niece as they circled one another; wands raised and ready to take aim. A slight smile crossed her lips as she could see a glint of fear cross Nymphodora's face and then disappear, "_Maybe she does have the Black fighting spirit, and after all she doesn't seem to be that afraid of me."_ Bella thought to herself daring not to say it aloud. After all Tonks was the product of a blood traitor and a mudblood.

Bella watched as Tonks raised her wand. "Confrigno!" She could hear her niece yell as she jumped aside; deflecting the curse with a simple turn of the wrist.

"You couldn't do any better than that my dear Nymphodora?" Bella questioned tauntingly in a sing song pattern. "I guess considering your father's heritage, that was your best."

"Sorry Auntie Bells, you never came around to teach me anything else." Tonks teased back. "And don't call me Nymphodora!" She yelled her hair changing to a scarlet red and then back to the deep brown that matched that of her mothers.

"Not too fond of your name I take it. That's more than alright; I've never been too fond of your exist—Bells?" Bella spoke the sing song rhythm in her voice breaking as she spoke the last word. Frozen in her tracks, she lowered her wand so that she was no longer aiming at Tonk's heart. No one had called her _Bells_ in years. The only person who had ever called her _Bells_ was Andromeda. _"Andy?" _Bella spoke to herself feeling her already unstable mind whirl as she looked at Tonks. Old childhood memories floated through her thoughts as she could barely hear the battle occurring behind her.

"_Bells, you know I could never leave you. You are my sister forever. Even when I get married—no doubt to a man that Cygnus and Druella have chosen for me—I won't let that change how close we are. When I have my first child Bells, he or she will be your God child." _

"_Andy, all I said was don't leave me alone with Cissy when you go away to Beauxbatons, for the student exchange program. I am going to go absolutely bonkers without someone sane to talk to. All Cissy seems to want to talk about is *gag* Luscious Malfoy." _

"_I know Bells, but it's just that I don't want you to ever hate me for anything and…never mind Bells. I love you. You know that right?"_

"_Yes, and I love you too. Now will you please let me stow away in your suitcase or—I could even transfigure myself into a book that you can take with you—puh-lease! _

"_Bells!"_

"_Fine! I'll just go play with filthy mudbloods or something while you're a way." _

A loud crack rang through the air snapping Bella back in to reality. She turned to see Dolohov and Lupin battling.

"Are you scared Auntie Bells?" Tonks teased as she noticed her aunt's wand lower a bit. She was confused as to why Bella had frozen. She thought that it was probably a scare tactic and wasn't going to lower hers.

"Andy…" Bella said a little louder as her head snapped back to her previous entanglement. Instead of seeing her niece's face, she saw the face of her sister as she stared into Tonks eyes. "Andy, I have to do it…I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt her Andy, but she is a half blood, a blood traitor. She's on the wrong side. You have to understand that. I don't want you to hate me. You said that you would never leave me and you did. You lied like everyone else. I'm sorry." Bella mouthed aloud, talking only to herself. Sure she had killed Sirius, but that was different. He was not her niece—he was not a part of Andromeda. He was a vile creature who would often menace Bellatrix in Azkaban; reminding her of things she had long wished she could wipe from her memory.

Tonks stared at her aunt unsure of how to proceed. She was not a murderer and would not strike without cause. The look in her aunt's eyes, however, perplexed her and the sincerity of Bellatrix's voice was one she had never heard before. The last time she had come into contact with her Aunt she barely escaped with her life, as well as Ron's.

"What are you trying to pull here? Why are you calling me Andy? And why are you apologizing, you haven't killed me and you won't either." Tonks questioned; raising and eyebrow and looking around catching sight of Lupin and Dolohov's battle. Her heart lurched as she saw a hex fly in the direction of Lupin narrowly missing him.

"Andy please, please forgive me. The Dark Lord commands that I prune my family tree." Bella spoke. Her mind was in a trance as the broken pieces of memories and thoughts tried in vain to place themselves together. Yes, Bella was insane, but more than that, she was broken—broken by a hard existence, an obsessive mindset, and deep dark hidden secrets; secrets she had even managed to keep from the Dark Lord; secrets that only Andromeda knew; secrets that Andy had told Sirius; secrets that he had taunted her with.

Raising her wand once again Bella broke her gaze with Nymphodora and glared in the direction of Lupin. She wasn't going to murder her niece and break her sister as she had been broken. She was going to let someone else do it. Sure it was her order from the Dark Lord to prune her family tree, but she wasn't going to kill her sister's daughter—her niece's husband however, was a different story. Yes, Bella Black was crazy, but somewhere in her fragmented mind and blackened heart she still loved her sister. Throwing her niece her infamous twisted smile, she raised her wand at her nephew-in-law and screamed "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Tonks watched as the words came out of her aunt's mouth and before she knew what she was doing she found herself in between Lupin and the curse of death. The curse hit her square in the heart and her eyes went dead. Her hair, which at the time of her heroic actions had been pink, faded aimlessly back into its mousy brown color.

Bella's mind fragmented once again as she watched Tonks' body fall lifelessly to the ground. "NO…!" She gasped as she griped her wand tighter. "Andy…" she said again looking at her wand hand. A single tear fell from her eye as she as she apparated to the other end of the castle to watch the battle from above. Bellatrix Lestrange was not a coward and she would go back into battle, but at that moment she needed to run.

Looking down at the scene before her she screamed as her eyes came across her niece's body. "Andy, I didn't want to kill her. I wasn't going to but she got in the way of that filthy werewolf. I was taking him away so that someone else would do my job; but, why did she have to get in my way, WHY? I'm sorry…I'm sorry." She screamed not even audible above the battle. The rage rose up in her and her temper flared as she screamed again. Everything she had done in her life, all that had been done to her, and all that she had been through had again ripped her in half; she had murdered her last string of sanity. Andromeda would never forgive her, never love her again. Why did she do it, why? Bella had always hoped that after the war was over she could convice Andromeda that she was on the wrong side; and that she would change her ways. Now there was no way possible. The only way for her to survive now was to go and hurt someone else. "Andy I love you." She whispered amidst the chaos, wiped her single tear away, and then apparted back into battle.


End file.
